Blood Transfusion, HIV and Other Life Threatening Infections

 

UNITS NEEDED PER ANNUM

India Needs an approximate                           9 million units of blood per annum

Units collected                                                   5.5 million units per annum

Shortage of                                                         3.5 million units per annum

 

WHO CAN DONATE BLOOD

In India, any healthy person in the age group of 18 – 60 can donate blood.

Every healthy Indian male has 76 ml blood per kg  body weight.

Every healthy Indian woman has 66 ml blood per kg body weight.

In routine circulation  the human body requires only 50 ml per kg body weight.

Therefore, everyone has excess blood that can be donated to save the lives of people in need of blood.

The blood  donated gets replenished within 24 hours.

Every healthy Indian can donate blood at least once every six months.

COMPONENTS OF BLOOD

Blood has many components. The most important components being :

• Red Blood Cells
• White Blood cells
• Platelets
• Plasma
• Others.

HOW TO SAVE BLOOD A SCARCE AND PRECIOUS COMMODITY

There is no NEED to transfuse whole blood. This is a waste of blood. Blood needs to be separated into its many components, listed below, and then transfused:

• Red Blood Cells
• White Blood cells
• Platelets
• Plasma
• Others.

DISEASES THAT ARE TRANSMITTED THROUGH BLOOD

HIV

Hepatitis B, C

CMV

Syphilis

Malaria

E.B virus

HTLV.

CMV : CYTOMEGALO VIRUS IS A MEMBER OF HERPES VIRUS FAMILY THAT MAY CAUSE CMV RETINITIS IN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED  PATIENTS .

EB VIRUS ; EPSTEIN –BARR VIRUS A COMMON HUMAN VIRUS THAT CAUSES INFECTIOUS MONOLEUCOSES & MAY PLAY A ROLE IN THE EMERGENCE OF TWO RARE FORMS OF CANCER i.e BURKITT’S LYMPHOMA & NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA.

HTLV :HUMAN T-LYMPHOCVTE VIRUS A HUMAN RNA VIRUS THAT CAUSES T-CELL LEAUKEMIA & T-CELL LYMPHOMA IN ADULTS .

 

Therefore Blood Must be tested for these diseases before it is donated. These infections if left untreated can be life threatening. It is suggested that we stay healthy so that we DO NOT need a blood transfusion, thereby reducing the chances of infection.

BLOOD MUST BE RESPECTED, TESTED AND TAKEN ONLY FROM VOLUNTARY DONORS AND NOT FROM PROFESSIONAL/COMMERCIAL DONORS.

 

RESPECT BLOOD GIVE IT FREELY